About Me

As a small business owner, I can tell you that it is easier than you think to run into financial problems. I started realizing that I was a little bit of an excessive spender a few months ago, when I realized that my credit cards were all maxed out. It was really frustrating and it disrupted my ability to spend money, which is why I decided to start focusing on resolving business challenges. I was able to completely dig myself out of trouble by focusing on proper business principles, but it wasn't easy. This blog is all about choosing better business moves.

Improve Your Employees' Soft Skills For A More Successful Business

Posted on
16 February 2017

As a dedicated manager, you want your staff to perform at their peak. The problem is that many employees, especially those in entry level positions, never developed some initial readiness skills, such as attitude, work ethic, and creative thinking, that are necessary for top performance. Fortunately there are ways you can help educate and train your team to overcome these early challenges.

Schedule an assessment

There are plenty of employee readiness assessments available, each performed by a qualified employee services company, such as Career Opportunities. These assessments generally test for the presence of soft skills, such as the following:

Ability to focus on performance and goals, as well as setting of personal goals.

A positive mindset set to success instead of allowing minor setbacks to become major issues.

Job maintenance, including performing above expectations and maintaining a good work ethic.

Able to adjust to change within the workplace, and even to embrace it.

Willingness to communicate in a variety of ways across platforms.

For example, young employees are often slightly behind when it comes to face-to-face communication because they were educated in a primarily digital world where a majority of the communication took place behind a screen. This can be difficult when they must work with multigenerational coworkers or clients. Of course, the opposite can also be true of older workers that aren't as familiar with digital communication. Identifying this deficiency is the first step toward rectifying it.

Plan to improve

Once you have identified the deficiencies and challenges in your team, you can take steps to overcome them. Using the above example regarding communication, a multi-prong approach can solve the issue. For example:

Schedule regular technology training sessions for those uncomfortable with the method.

Use a variety of communication methods in group settings, such as conference calls and video chats, so staff members can become accustomed to different styles.

Schedule one-on-one time with staff members to help them work on their communication challenges.

The key is to use a combination of training, protocols, and leading by example, as well as helping staff members set personal work goals, to help improve the soft skill set. Use an employee readiness assessment for each new hire and you will be able to tackle their personal challenges so that they are set for success from the beginning of their tenure. Contact an employee services consultant for more help.